Musings From the Weekend: Where Could IndyCar Race?

It was Easter weekend. Sir Stirling Moss passed away aged 90. I still cannot tell how things are. Simon Pagenaud won at Michigan on fuel mileage. Some drivers behaved poorly on iRacing. Belle Isle will not happen and IndyCar will have a third race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Formula One has postponed its trip to Canada. NASCAR took the week off from iRacing... kind of. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.

Where Could IndyCar Race?
We are pushing a month of quarantine, which is fine, because it is what we have to do but we are getting antsy. People want sports and sports want to go on.

Major League Baseball has proposed sending all the teams to their spring training sites and having a radically different looking 2020 season with games behind closed doors and divisional alignment that does not follow traditional National League and American League alignment.

The National Hockey League is exploring neutral sites to finish out the regular season and playoffs, including places such as Grand Forks, North Dakota, Manchester New Hampshire and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The National Basketball Association is trying to do something similar to the NHL.

The Premier League has floated out neutral site locations to end its season. The Korea Baseball Organization is on the verge of starting its preseason and beginning its regular season after South Korea's covid-19 outbreak has waned. Taiwan has started its baseball seaosn albeit with games behind closed doors.

We are starved. It is a necessary sacrifice but after one month we are trying to see how we can have just a little bit to nibble on. We want something new and unseen. Through these unpredictable times we want the unpredictability of sports. We want competition if there is a way for any of these sports to take place in a safe manner.

With many sports looking for options I sit and I wonder if there is a way for motorsports to continue in the same way. The traveling roadshow of motorsports differentiates from baseball, basketball and hockey in that it visits multiple locations and the tracks vary in size and shape. Baseball comes close with each park having its own dimensions and wall height but it is not an apt comparison.

Time ticks away on 2020 and with each week we find another race postponed or cancelled. A full championship is getting hard to envision at this rate and while multiple sports leagues are looking at quarantine options, motorsports series continue to move pieces and hope things we will be better come summer and autumn. There is no certainty things will be better and these series should be at the point of considering holding all its at a limited number of venues. It is not ideal but it could soon be the only option.

Where could motorsports series go to put on a series of races completely in quarantine?

For IndyCar, it is simple, it is Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It hosts the Indianapolis 500, it had a third race added to the second revised 2020 schedule. It has multiple layout and can be run clockwise or anti-clockwise. Theoretically, you could run 13 races and never run the same track twice at IMS and that is the proposal.

If everything hits the fan, IndyCar's option is to get everyone together at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and hold the championship there. The Indianapolis 500 would start the season on August 23 and the Grand Prix of Indianapolis would be round two on August 30. Where do we go from there?

The Labor Day Luau will be run on September 6 and let's have it on the IndyCar road course configuration but this time the track goes anti-clockwise and oval turn one is used. Since it is a holiday, let's run a slightly longer race, say 93 laps or about 220 miles? It is a holiday weekend, why not make it a doubleheader? Anti-clockwise on Sunday and clockwise on Monday?

Labor Day Luau: 2.3646-mile course

Labor Day Luau: Same track, different direction

After Labor Day weekend, it will be the start of football season and the NFL will likely play games even if people are keeling over on the escalators so that means we need to have the Alternate Programming 300 and we need to do a course that has never been done before:

Alternate Programming 300: 2.5644-mile course

I present you with a five-turn circuit utilizing the road course section located inside turn one and the rest of the oval. It is basically 85% of the oval but with a hard left in turn one. Cars will have to brake and brake from at least 220 MPH! When do they start braking? Are they braking before the start/finish line? Let's make this weekend even better and make it a doubleheader, one 117-lap race on Saturday and then another on Sunday but going clockwise! Turn four becomes turn one, it is four right-hand turns and a left! Talk about bonkers!

Alternate Programming 300 Part II

After that chaotic weekend, the teams will need something a little more normal and I suggest we resurrect the Formula One course. The actual United States Grand Prix layout is not possible because the tight right-left section behind the museum has been completely removed but other than that this course is the close we can get to it. The track is 2.5228 miles, the race could be 73 laps, it would fall on September 20, almost 20 years to the day of the first United States Grand Prix at Indianapolis and we can call it the Tony George Memorial.

In honor of the man with the vision

We are getting to the end of September and we are at the halfway point of the calendar. How do we start the second half of the season? With another doubleheader but this time on the 2.5664-mile motorcycle course, Saturday going clockwise, Sunday going anti-clockwise.

Speedway Grand Prix Part I: 78 laps

Speedway Grand Prix Part II: 78 laps

Harvest Grand Prix is already scheduled for October 3 and we are going to keep that. My proposal is we take the layout for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and run it anti-clockwise. I didn't do a diagram for that one. It is same track we have been watching for six years but in reverse. Same track, same length (85 laps), it is simple.

After that, we will have a doubleheader for the penultimate weekend of the season, one race on October 10, the other on October 11 and this is on a new course and I call it the perimeter road course. It uses the road course section used inside oval turn one and the road course section inside oval turn two but instead of going inside the course and using Hulman Boulevard it turns onto the backstretch and uses the rest of the oval. It is a 2.5634-mile configuration. It requires a little work but it is doable. I propose two 100-lap races for the Circle City Shootout.

Circle City Shootout Race One will be clockwise

Race two will be anti-clockwise

On October 17 we have the Roger Penske Cup. It uses the Formula One circuit but goes anti-clockwise, which means oval turn one is turn one. It is a 90-lap race, 227 miles

This concludes the 2020 championship

The season isn't over yet and IndyCar will have one race not at Indianapolis Motor Speedway but it is in the area. All these races have been great and 13 races on 13 different configurations is terrific but we need an oval and we need a short track. The season concludes at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Halloween Night, 400 laps for all the marbles.

In an ideal world, we do not want a 14-race championship with 13 different configurations of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IRP but maybe this is the best we can do for 2020. Nobody would like it but it would provide a championship with variety and enough races for it to feel like a complete championship.

Let's hope it doesn't come to that but if every other sport is preparing for neutral sites with games centralized behind closed doors then motorsports should be constructing a similar plan.

This might not even be possible but it might be the only shot we got.

Coming up later this week will be similar editions of limited location championships for Formula One and NASCAR.

Winners From the Weekend
You know about Simon Pagenaud but did you know...

Aaron Smith II won Thunder Night Blunder from Martinsville.

Jenson Button and Emanuele Pirro split the Legends Trophy races from Sebring.

Chase Briscoe won NBC's iRacing Short Track Challenge.

Coming Up This Weekend
IndyCar has its "random" track race.
Thunder Night Blunder goes to Long Beach with seven different open-wheel classes.
NASCAR is back at Richmond

First Impressions: IndyCar iRacing Michigan 2020

1. Strategy played to perfection leads to a comfortable victory for Simon Pagenaud. The Frenchman making his final pit stop with 39 laps to go and from there Pagenaud played the fuel mileage game but he pulled away at the front. He was running with a bunch of drivers trying to stretch it but those drivers were doomed to fall short.

It was just how the race played out. With the length and the caution at the start, a driver could make it on one-stop while the two-stoppers were left chasing. Pagenaud ran a consistent pace and came out on top. At the start of the final lap, Pagenaud's lead was over 13 seconds and he cruised to a victory, Team Penske's second in two races and Chevrolet's third in three in what was the Chevrolet 275.

2. Over 13 seconds behind Pagenaud was teammate Scott McLaughlin, who was in the accident at the start and was behind the eight ball but he recovered with strategy. McLaughlin had to stop at the start for repairs but that stop allowed him to make it to lap 45 for his final stop. He pulled off a 40-lap final stint. What appeared to be a day ruined immediately turned into a stellar result.

3. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was third and he ran the same strategy as McLaughlin. Earnhardt, Jr. made his first stop under the first caution, made it to lap 45 and made it to the end of the race running at about 75% throttle. He was 15.337 seconds back of Pagenaud at the end. He drove a smart race. He wasn't mixing it up at the front and the way this one played out brains beat brawn.

4. Will Power was at the front all race and Power had to make a second stop. He put on a charge but the gap was too great and fourth was the best he could do, 16.863 seconds behind his teammate Pagenaud. Any other day, Power wins or finishes in the top three. Today, fourth is not bad.

5. Graham Rahal was another guy at the front all race and he rounded out the top five. If this race plays out differently, I think Rahal would have been fighting for the victory. He was hanging in there and in some of the practice races Rahal found himself mixing it up with the leaders coming to the end.

6. Jack Harvey and Alexander Rossi were sixth and seventh. Both drove smart. Ryan Hunter-Reay was stretching it and had to make his final stop in the closing laps. Despite that Hunter-Reay came home in eighth. Ed Carpenter was ninth and Carpenter was running in the top five when he spun entering the pit lane for his final stop. Without that spin, he is battling with Power and Rahal for a top five finish. Álex Palou had another solid race and finished tenth but probably should have been a little better.

7. Going over other notables:

Zach Veach came to pit lane at the start of the final lap. He went 41 laps on that stint but was a lap short. Kyle Kaiser tried to make it after being in the top ten for most of this race and coughed with a dry tank after taking the white flag in second. He deserved better than 12th.

Sage Karam was trading the lead with Will Power non-stop and something happened late because Karam was clawing his way up the order after his final stop and then at the end he was 14th. It sounds like he was caught in an accident late. That is another tough blow after a strong day.

Felipe Nasr was running third with Karam and Power for most of this one and then spun entering pit lane on his first pit stop. Nasr was really good in this one and I bet he cannot wait until he actually gets on an oval.

8. There are a couple of things we can take from this races, and all these iRacing events, and apply to the real world.

Let's go to the accident at the start.

It is a video game and I am going to lay blame at the feet of pole-sitter Marcus Ericsson. Ericsson didn't go. He was waiting and waiting and waiting and the field piled up behind him.

Technically, in iRacing, there is no restart zone or in this case start zone. Once the pace car is in you can go and Ericsson didn't go. I have a feeling he was playing it like a real start to an IndyCar race and the accordion effect took out ten cars.

We have seen this happen at many races. It happened at Pocono two years ago and Spencer Pigot was spinning before even seeing the green flag. It is a problem and a solution is needed.

People laugh at it because it is moronic to watch a dozen race cars get into an accident going at a fraction of race speed but it is embarrassing for any series.

What needs to be done?

First, spread the cars out at the start. If IndyCar was actually racing at Michigan it would be a 400-mile or 500-mile race. The field doesn't need to be under a blanket coming to the start. There is plenty of time and drivers will be able to race to the front. If when the leaders are at the line the final row is in turn four that is fine. It gives everyone room and decreases the risk of a pile up.

Second, I think we need to take the start out of the pole-sitters hand's. I have felt this way for a while and I actually put an idea to paper two days after the 2018 Pocono race. The green flag should be waved when the pace car hits the pit in line. I will repeat the points I made that day:

• It takes it out of the hands of a driver who could manipulate it to brake check the driver behind him or her and potential cause an accordion-like accident similar to the one we saw today.

• Drivers don't do the hurry and wait build up to a restart zone. There is no point in building up speed and then quickly forcing the field to decelerate and then stomp on the throttle to hope to gain an advantage. The pole-sitter or the leader is no longer in charge. If he or she wants to do that and decelerates coming to the line and the lights go green then he or she could get snuffed out and end up losing ten positions. In this scenario a driver would have to stay on edge, remain focused and be ready to go because an external force decides when the race becomes green.

• It is cut and dry. Once the pace car hits the line, the green light comes on and drivers can hit the gas. No more of this restart zone, the leader can start anywhere between two lines. It is just like a stoplight at the intersection outside your house. The light turns green and then everyone can go.

I think there is a better way to handle when a race goes green and IndyCar should use these races as opportunities to improve what we see on track in real life.

9. Watching cars spin entering pit lane has me thinking about the issues IndyCar faces if it returns to Michigan and it has me realizing pit lane entry is a common issue at other IndyCar tracks.

How many times have we seen an incident when a car is entering pit lane at Indianapolis or Pocono or even Fontana? Marcus Ericsson caused a caution spinning onto pit lane at Indianapolis last year. Takuma Sato ran over Ryan Hunter-Reay entering pit lane at Pocono in 2013. We have had numerous incidents with a car severely locking up the tires entering pit lane. Lock ups aren't good. A driver has no control over the car in those situations.

I know it is a video game and in an actual race guys would be more cautious but seeing it happen at least four or five times has me wondering if there is a safer way to do pit entry.

One issue is the difference between the speed on the racetrack and the pit lane limit. The cars are doing 220 MPH on the track. Pit lane limit is 60 MPH at the bigger ovals. That is a 160 MPH difference and these cars have to decelerate that amount of speed in a quarter-mile? That is asking for an accident.

It is easy to fix at Indianapolis because Indianapolis has the access lane on the inside of turn three and turn four. IndyCar could make pit in at turn three at Indianapolis for the race. That is already pit in for all of practice. Gateway has pit in at the entrance of turn three so it already done in an IndyCar race. Other tracks do not have as easy of an answer as Indianapolis and Gateway do. Michigan does not have an access lane and I am sure the track is not going to put one in for IndyCar.

The good news is IndyCar was already eying this problem. Last year, Texas had a two-stage pit lane where the limit was 60 MPH on pit lane and from pit lane exit to the exit of turn two it was 90 MPH. IndyCar was considering extending this two-stage pit speed to pit entry as well with teams having to be at 90 MPH at the entrance of turn three until pit lane. The series was also planning on expanding two-stage pit speed to Iowa, Richmond and Gateway.

It looks like IndyCar was already working on a solution and let's just hope when racing resumes they follow through and adjust pit lane entry at all the ovals.

10. The length played into this race being decided on strategy. The caution helped. Without the caution, this is a two-stop race for everyone. That was the only caution of the race and race control did not throw one for any other single-car or two-car incidents so I think the right decision was made.

It is tough to say IndyCar should have set the distance at a length where it was a two-stop race no matter what because this is a case where the series wants to fill the television window and not go over. The first 15 minutes were pre-race chat and ceremonies and there was a decent post-race length. The top three got interviewed, as did Rahal and James Hinchcliffe.

Without that caution at the start I am not sure how much time this race would have taken and how much time would have been left on the backend. I do know there was a 75-minute time limit for this race. Should we just race to a time limit? I know IndyCar does not do that for ovals or dry weather road/street course races but this is iRacing, a video game. If you set a clock at 75 minutes and go without any cautions you get the maximum amount of racing for the time slot. I am not sure anyone could complain in that case.

11. The next track is the "random" track and, once again, what does random mean?

There is a big push for next week to be an oval, which is fine. But how is IndyCar going to prove to us that it is "random." Random is writing every possible track on a piece of paper, throwing each one raffle drum, spin it for 30 seconds, open the latch and pulling one out. That is random.

Announcing on Twitter two days from now it is Daytona or South Boston or Monza or Silverstone is also random but we do not know how it was selected and the selection is important.

If IndyCar had said from the start this was going to be a random oval, fine. If IndyCar said now it was going to be a random oval it would be fine. I think it is important that it is actually random. This week was "drivers' choice" and yet we didn't hear what every driver wanted. We didn't really hear any driver say Michigan but we ended up racing at Michigan and it was a good race.

It will be interesting to see what "random" track we will be at next week.

12. Happy Easter to all those celebrating and Happy Passover to all those who celebrated earlier this week. Stay safe out there.

Mending Schedules: Formula One 2020

Formula One is shedding races by the week.

Yesterday, the Canadian Grand Prix was postponed, becoming the ninth postponed or cancelled round of the 2020 season, knocking the season down to 13 rounds and delaying the season opener to French Grand Prix to June 28.

Formula One has shown an openness to makeup races, including dismantling its summer break to fit in postponed races, and Ross Brawn has even come out and said the season will start behind closed doors if necessary. The series expressed extending the season into 2021 to complete the season.

Time is tight for Formula One and similar to NASCAR no makeup dates have been announced for any postponed races. While not needing to reschedule as many races as NASCAR, travel and weather are greater hurdles for Formula One. Not every race may be rescheduled but Formula One can create a respectable schedule without putting every race back on the slate.

Thirteen races remain scheduled for the 2020 Formula One season but there are plenty of openings to get at least four races back on the calendar. One other goal is to complete a season within the 2020 calendar year and not have a few races spill in 2021. Let's take this time to piece together a world championship season.

Here is how the 2020 schedule looks entering today:

June 28: French Grand Prix
July 5: Austrian Grand Prix
July 19: British Grand Prix
August 2: Hungarian Grand Prix
August 30: Belgian Grand Prix
September 6: Italian Grand Prix
September 20: Singapore Grand Prix
September 27: Russian Grand Prix
October 11: Japanese Grand Prix
October 25: United States Grand Prix
November 1: Mexico City Grand Prix
November 15: Brazilian Grand Prix
November 29: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

European rounds slot into the schedule the easiest though it will create more consecutive weekends of racing.

July 26: Dutch Grand Prix
This season was going to see the long-awaited return of the Dutch Grand Prix and a visit to a renovated Zandvoort, which features an 18-degree banked final corner. On the heels of Max Verstappen's rise in Formula One, the Dutch Grand Prix was to draw a sea of orange to cheer the Red Bull driver. This feels like one event Formula One has to get on the schedule. This date creates a triple-header falling between Silverstone and Hungary but Silverstone to Zandvoort is a quick trip.

August 16: Canadian Grand Prix
Montreal has one of the best crowds every year but the location makes it difficult to postpone this race until the autumnal Americas swing to Austin, Mexico City and São Paulo. A few Canadian Grand Prix were in late-October and that is not the most suitable time of year for a Formula One race in Canada. August provides beautiful weather and would draw a strong crowd.

August 23: Spanish Grand Prix
This was supposed to be the summer break but it becomes the most difficult time of the season. One week after a trip to North America, the teams would be in action at Barcelona and it would create four consecutive weeks of races spanning the Atlantic. After Barcelona will be Spa-Francorchamps and Monza before a week off and the first trip to Asia with Singapore.

Unfortunately, the Formula One schedule is unaccommodating to European rounds after Monza. First off, why Singapore and Japan are not consecutive weeks and Russia follows Singapore is outrageous. After Monza, the next best time for a European round would be December, which could work for Spain but not for any other European round on standby. Hopefully this could be an awakening for future scheduling considerations.

The only other option is Portimão, the 12-year-old circuit in southern Portugal and as close to the middle of nowhere as you can get, has been updated to an FIA Grade 1 level circuit, meaning it can now host a grand prix. Though crazy to think a track that was not even in consideration for a grand prix four months ago could become a midseason replacement round and resurrect a grand prix last held 24 years ago we are living in crazy times and this is what desperation looks like.

October 4: Azerbaijan Grand Prix
If Formula One is going to try and get in as many races in as possible Azerbaijan is squeezed in after Russia and before Japan and creates another stretch of four consecutive races. Sochi and Baku are just over 700 miles apart. It is basically in the neighborhood compared to the Singapore-Sochi trek.

December 6: Bahrain Grand Prix
The season would still end under the floodlights and in the Middle East but instead of concluding in Abu Dhabi the final checkered flag will fly in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is a hop, skip and a jump from Abu Dhabi. Everyone would be in the area and it is a practical decision. This gets the schedule to 18 races and that feels like the limit at the present moment.

Though Shanghai International Circuit plans on opening its 2020 schedule in June I am not sure the Chinese Grand Prix will find a spot in the schedule. The same goes for Vietnam, a street course and one that was originally scheduled for April. It is unfathomable how Vietnam would be scheduled to host two races in five months and that would be the case if it is tacked on to the 2020 season in December and then returns for April 2021.

Eighteen races is a sufficient world championship. Up until four or five years ago, when 20 races became the norm, no one would bat an eye at 18 rounds. While this season would be shorter than intended and see a handful of races dropped, including Australia and Monaco, this would not be some tainted season. This would not require an asterisk. We would actually be fine.

It would be a gauntlet of travel and consecutive weeks at the racetrack. Two-day weekends have been proposed as an answer for calendar congestion. That would make four consecutive weekends more bearable and hopefully give crew members an extra day at home.

Of course, if we are unable to visit Spain, Azerbaijan, Canada and these other countries, there is always Silverstone and its many different layouts and perhaps even a trip around the circuit in its opposite direction.

2020 IndyCar Schedule Second Revision: Well, That Was Fast

Nearly two weeks after IndyCar announced its first revision of the schedule, the series has made another amendment that will see one round cancelled, two rounds expanded into doubleheaders and another a third race added at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

What Changed?
Belle Isle was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the city of Detroit meaning the 2020 season opener will tentatively take place on Saturday, June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The Belle Isle doubleheader round will not be rescheduled later in the year.

How is IndyCar Making Up For It?
This revision expands the schedule from a 14-race calendar to a 15-race calendar with Iowa and Laguna Seca each becoming a doubleheader.

Iowa's first race will take place on Friday, July 17 with its original scheduled race still taking place on Saturday, July 18. The first Laguna Seca race takes place Saturday, September 19 with the second race occurring the following day.

The New Event
Added to the schedule is the IndyCar Harvest Grand Prix on Saturday, October 3 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. IndyCar joins the Intercontinental GT Challenge's Indianapolis 8 Hours weekend with the endurance race taking place the following day.

Any News on St. Petersburg?
St. Petersburg has remained on the second revised schedule but still does not have an announced date. The street race remains as the likely home for the 2020 season finale.

Double-Doubles?
With the loss of Belle Isle, IndyCar's back was against the wall.

That is two races lost in one swift kick and the simplest way to get those races back is expanding what is already scheduled.

Expanding Iowa and Laguna Seca into doubleheaders shows IndyCar's resourcefulness and willingness to take every step necessary to make sure the schedule maintains a respectable length.

There are still unanswered questions. Iowa holds a 300-lap race. Would both races be 300 laps? Would both races be shorter than 300 laps? Will Saturday night remain 300 laps and Friday's event be shorter? The same applies to Laguna Seca, which hosts a 90-lap race. That can be sorted out down the road.

This condensed schedule means IndyCar might have to embrace these doubleheaders in different ways than it would if this was a normal year. The Iowa doubleheader is coming at the end of five consecutive weeks of racing. There will be a four-day turnaround between the Toronto street race and the Friday night Iowa race.

Just for the team's sanity and to relieve the workload it could be possible we see IndyCar try something similar to what NASCAR is doing for its Pocono doubleheader. Instead of having practice, qualifying and a race on both days, IndyCar could practice, qualify and race on Friday and use Friday's race results to set the Saturday grid.

For NASCAR's Pocono doubleheader the race one results determine the race two starting grid with the final lead lap finisher in race one assuming pole position for race two. The rest of the inverted lead lap finishers line up on the grid before the lapped finishers fill out the field starting race two where they finished in the first race.

Using last year's Iowa results as an example, Josef Newgarden won the race but if that was race one he would have started seventh with Zach Veach starting on pole position for race two. Eighth on back to 22nd would start where they finished. If you expand this to Laguna Seca, Colton Herta would start race two from 19th with Jack Harvey rocketing to pole position and Veach joining Harvey on row one.

Nothing points to IndyCar adopting that format and IndyCar has used separate qualifying sessions to set the starting order of each doubleheader race since the format returned to the schedule in 2013. However, if the series is open to adding races to existing race weekends I imagine the series will be open to trying different formats especially if it means putting less pressure on the crews.

Iowa is at a difficult point in the schedule and if the teams have to rebuild cars after a race on Friday night it would be beneficial having only to worry about a Saturday night race instead of preparing the cars for another practice and/or qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.

This format would likely work better at Iowa versus Laguna Seca and teams would resist having one race determine the other out of fear a bad first race could lead to an equally rotten second race but everything has to be on the table.

Indy's Third Weekend
The only new round is the third Indianapolis weekend, the Harvest Grand Prix.

This is a case of IndyCar making the most use of what is at its disposal. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is IndyCar's for the most part and the track was already scheduled to be used that weekend. As excited as I am for the Indianapolis 8 Hours, it is not going to draw a capacity turnout. Frankly, the Harvest Grand Prix will draw a significantly larger crowd than if the Indianapolis 8 Hours was to take place on its own.

Does this race cause saturation to the Indianapolis market? Possibly but we are not worried about saturation at this point.

IndyCar has a track and if it needs an additional race Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a low-cost option. Majority of the teams are in the area meaning less money will be spent on hotel rooms and flights. It will be a cooler time in the year and the race will play a significant role in the championship.

Though many would prefer a make-up race elsewhere this is not the year for 11th hour miracles. These are much different times than 2015 when Watkins Glen substituted for the stillbirth Boston street race. If tracks are not sure when or if its scheduled dates are going to take place what makes you think it would take on an unplanned IndyCar race? That's not going to happen this year. The best option for IndyCar in that case is Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It is the one track IndyCar can be certain will be available and up to standard.

Would I like to see the Harvest Grand Prix be a little different then the Grand Prix of Indianapolis? Absolutely!

Indianapolis has the ability to run in either direction. The Harvest Grand Prix could be run counter-clockwise opposed to the clockwise Grand Prix of Indianapolis. The course could include oval turn one. The race length could be longer or shorter.

Whatever course IndyCar does run it will likely have to be what the Indianapolis 8 Hours will use. If IndyCar runs counter-clockwise the Indianapolis 8 Hours will have to go in the same direction just for sake of barrier layout and marshal positioning. I am sure IndyCar and Stéphane Ratel Organisation will come to a joint-decision for the best of both series.

Should We Expect a Third Revision?
Damn straight!

There are going to be more changes and if it was less than two weeks to get a second revision then a third will come soon rather than later.

What is in danger?

Texas was only a week after Belle Isle. It is in prime position to lose its scheduled date but I would pencil down Texas as a likely candidate to find a new date in the calendar. It found a new date in 2016 when rain washed the race from June to August and Texas has a NASCAR weekend. We are already seeing IndyCar join one NASCAR weekend this year. A second weekend would be nothing at this point.

The city of Toronto banned all large public gatherings through June 30. While the IndyCar race is scheduled for July 12 the city still needs to build the racetrack and such a mandate could prevent that from happening. We have lost every street course race this season and St. Petersburg is the only one hanging on for a new date. It is getting harder to see how IndyCar will go north of the border.

The second revision created wiggle room for a third revision. We went from 14 races to 15 races. If Toronto has to be dropped or if St. Petersburg does not happen then we will still get 14 races. If we lose both dates then IndyCar may be prompted to add one more doubleheader. It is too early to speculate what other round could become a doubleheader. On Sunday I wouldn't have put Iowa anywhere close to the top of the list and here we are on Tuesday with two nights races slated for the 7/8-mile oval.

Is it foolish to be excited about something as fragile as this 2020 season?

This indefinite holding pattern requires reflection and with each passing day the likelihood of no 2020 season grows. Despite this difficult fate this unusual year produced an unusual schedule, one we will never see again but one we may never see at all. Though we are guaranteed nothing I find myself gleeful over the slim possibility of something, something unreproducible.

Musings From the Weekend: Eight Years Later

I can no longer judge how things are. Scott McLaughlin went off strategy and won IndyCar's second iRacing event. IndyCar may or may not be tilting the iRacing schedule to get better cameos. This weekend was an unexpected chance for IndyCar fans to really think about NOLA Motorsports Park and Jolyon Palmer might have a point. People are fighting in NASCARLand because that is what we need right now. Dinner with Racers put on a great show Thursday night and had Dave Despain on the broadcast. Jan Magnussen has still got it. It is now April. Here is a run down of what got me thinking.

Eight Years Later
Yesterday marked the eighth anniversary of writing this blog and I knew the day was coming and wanted to do something introspective.

I had not planned on doing this after three weeks of quarantine, three weeks of next no motorsports in any corner of the globe and everyone watching video games to get their fix. It just goes to show how quickly things can change.

I wanted to look back and see where I am at, how things have changed and look forward to see what is next.

I don't like putting myself out there. I know where I stand and I do not matter. That sounds harsh but this is a hobby and to act like it is anything greater would be foolish. Writing has been a hobby and throughout my life I didn't have many people I could talk to about the various forms of racing I watched. This has been a chance to share when I otherwise had no one to share with.

Do I think this is important? No. I am not changing the world but that has not really been the goal. I just wanted to write about a joy of mine.

At one point there might have been a hope that this hobby could have become more and become a career. That is a silly thought. There are probably a hundred thousand people who hope to be a motorsports writer or be involved in the circus. There is not enough money or opportunity out there for us all to make a living. I have always had a good balance though where I could work and do something I love and still have time for this hobby. If that balance maintains where I can make a living doing something I love and I can keep doing this for fun then I will take that.

We are all human. There are times when work takes over and we have to put hobbies aside. We all have busy periods but they pass and life resumes a normal order. I am fortunate for the life I have.

There has been a good pattern I have developed with this and it took time to figure it out. The early stuff was terrible. I am not going to lie but I wasn't sure what I was doing eight years ago. I wanted to write but what was I going to write about and how much should I write? I am not news. I know that. I knew it was not going to be practical to post every news story under the sun. That would have taken too much time, required too much attention and it would have been done for nothing in terms of pay.

It took some time to develop into a less is more mindset. I could have posted every news related story but if it is just regurgitating what every other motorsports news outlet said then what is the point? If I am not adding something new there is no reason to read this.

What I have tried to develop into is an educated commentator. I do not want to shoot from the hip and say something just to make waves and get attention. If I have a thought I want to flush it out and look see if I am right or wrong. Sometimes I convince myself I am wrong. I think it is important to admit when you are wrong.

This is a place to let ideas develop and also look at things with common sense. Let's just take the IndyCar schedule revision. We do not know if Belle Isle will happen on time or when St. Petersburg will be rescheduled but common sense says October. It would be ridiculous if one proposal would be IndyCar should go to Michigan with NASCAR in June if Belle Isle doesn't happen or Homestead should be a makeup venues or Cleveland should come back. None of those three things are happening. Common sense says so.

I try to look at things and not have a hot take. I want to sound smart and in some recent things I think I do my best thinking things through, may I suggest when the increased Indianapolis 500 purse was announced or when IndyCar announced it was bringing back grid penalties for engine changes or digesting the revised IndyCar schedule as recent examples.

Sometimes I do something a little crazy but I do it for fun. This is a place to try stuff. That is why I have broken IndyCar up into a league format or I comment on headlines at the end of each month. For the most part when I do something I try to be at least intelligent with it.

If I can be a resource to people then great. That is why I do three posts each IndyCar weekend. I do the Track Walk the Thursday before a race to set the stage for the weekend. Who is good and who is struggling? What should people know going into the weekend? Then on race day morning I do the Morning Warm-Up, another preview but more focused with the grid set and then I do First Impressions after the race, one to comment because we all watched the race and have comments, but the second reason is to look at where we are afterward.

I do previews and reviews because I think it is important to see where everyone is at and set expectations. Facts are important and facts should influence opinion. If there is a driver who has made 175 starts, has no victories, five podium finishes but hasn't had one in four years and has averaged a finish of 15.8 over the last five years that should be known. That driver should not be a favorite even if the testing pace is encouraging. What has happened the last few seasons must be  known and what happened five minutes ago should not be the only thing we base our expectations on.

I was taught your previous writing should influence your current writing. It is a circular nature. I had one professor who believed if you were having trouble with an ending go back to the beginning. How does this story make sense? Complete the circle of the story.

I try to be efficient with my writing. All these previews I do shape the reviews at the end of the year. When I make predictions I go back and check those predictions. Once again, I think it is important to show when you are wrong and hold yourself accountable but in the case of predictions it creates writing in the future. It is a great way to avoid writer's block. You always have something to fall back on.

I am not going to lie and act like this is something great. I know it is niche of niche. A million people are not reading this stuff each week and I am fine with that. I love writing. It is a chance to clear and expand the mind. This might not seem worth it but I am going to hang on and continuing doing it. A day may come where the time is no longer there or it is no longer fun or the world passes by and no one is stopping to read. Until that time comes I am going to stick around.

Winners From the Weekend
You know about Scott McLaughlin but did you know...

Will Rodgers won Dinner with Racers' Thursday Night Blunder from Virginia International Raceway.

Jan Magnussen and Rubens Barrichello split The Race's Legend Trophy races from NOLA Motorsports Park.

William Byron won the NASCAR video game race from Bristol. Logan Seavey won the race for non-Cup drivers.

Charles Leclerc won the Formula One video game race from Melbourne.

Coming Up This Weekend
It will be Easter weekend.
IndyCar's third iRacing event will be at Michigan, the "drivers' choice."
Dinner with Racers will run at Martinsville with Trucks on Trucks on Trucks.

First Impressions: IndyCar iRacing Barber 2020

1. The one guy to use an alternate strategy, stop before the competition caution and make it a two-stop race won the whole thing and it was Scott McLaughlin of all people.

McLaughlin has been one of the most talked about drivers of the IndyCar offseason. The back-to-back Supercars champion got a testing opportunity with Team Penske and he turned that test into a shot in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and potentially more races in 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic has put those plans on the back burner but McLaughlin is showing an intense interest in IndyCar. He was racing at 5:00 a.m. in Australia. He got up at 2:00 a.m. to prepare for this race. He didn't have to do that but he is slowing making a name for himself.

We are not sure when McLaughlin will get his first race experience in an IndyCar. He may have to wait until 2021 but the wait will be worth it.

2. Will Power was second and for the second consecutive race he was on the podium after he was third at Watkins Glen. It should not be a surprise Power has a knack for this. The guy is talented. He is probably going to win one of the final four races of this series.

3. Scott Speed was third and, I will be honest, Scott Speed doesn't do anything for me. He flamed out of Formula One. He has a history of reckless driving from stock cars to iRacing itself. His only success is in a rallycross series that no longer exists. I am not going to pretend that I am interested in giving him a shot in an actually IndyCar after this event. There are plenty of other guys I would be more interested in seeing fill-in for Marco Andretti but life isn't fair and Speed drove for Andretti Autosport in rallycross. It is not about what you know but who you know.

4. Álex Palou was fourth and I must admit I forgot to mention him last week. Palou was doing well at Watkins Glen but had an issue with his pit stop. I think he was unable to get into his pit box and he had to go out and do another lap. That cost him a potential top five finish last week but this week he was clean and it was a respectable result in fourth. McLaughlin is one guy we cannot wait to see in an IndyCar but Palou seems like he is going to be strong.

5. Simon Pagenaud rounded out the top five in an uneventful day. He was strong but not a front-runner. It was a typical Simon Pagenaud day.

6. Felix Rosenqvist was fortunate to finish sixth after contact with Sage Karam. Karam had dominated the race from the start but he got caught in traffic before his pit stop and came out next to Rosenqvist. Power had leapfrogged both drivers. Rosenqvist had a great run and got ahead of Karam in turn five. The two drivers came together in turn eight. Karam continued and Rosenqvist's spin was not terminal to his race.

Karam would fall down the order, had a pit lane speeding penalty, got in an accident with Tony Kanaan and quit. At least Karam did do an in-race interview. He wasn't that bad of a sport about all of it.

Rosenqvist continued and held on for sixth. Not bad. Similar to Power, Rosenqvist is likely going to win one of these final four races.

7. Colton Herta was seventh in what was a better day than last week.

8. Robert Wickens was eighth in his first race back since his Pocono accident in August 2018. Wickens started dead last because he spun in the final corner on his qualifying lap. He picked off driver after driver in the opening laps and missed all the accidents. He had a few moments and he has only had his equipment for less than a week. This is fantastic all things considered and if he had completed his qualifying run he said he would have been starting in the middle of the top ten. Imagine what he could have done if he started there.

9. Quick run down of the rest of the field: Josef Newgarden and Santino Ferrucci rounded out the top ten. We didn't see much of Newgarden but he spent much of the race in the top ten. Ferrucci had a few incidents and still pulled off tenth.

Dalton Kellett was 11th again.

Jimmie Johnson was 12th and drove a smart race. We didn't really didn't see Johnson at all. There was no point where the broadcast focused on Johnson like a zoo animal in a cage. That is fine. Johnson is just trying to get laps and he has been successful at doing that. He also isn't getting himself in trouble and doing that alone is a big difference between finishing on the lead lap in 12th and being 24th in these events.

Sébastien Bourdais, Graham Rahal and Oliver Askew rounded out the cars on the lead lap. All had incidents, all recovered and Askew had contact from his own teammate Patricio O'Ward that sent him back. O'Ward had one too many incidents in this one.

Scott Dixon was doing well in the top ten but dropped to 16th. I am not entirely sure what happened.

James Hinchcliffe did nothing. Ed Carpenter was there and was 18th, not bad considering he has not been on a road course since 2013.

The actual Andretti Autosport drivers were awful. Zach Veach and Kyle Kirkwood both spun. Kirkwood spun coming to the green flag. Alexander Rossi had four or five incidents.

Kyle Kaiser, Conor Daly, Marcus Ericsson, Jack Harvey and Felipe Nasr also competed in today's event.

10. The format featured a slight change this weekend with a competition caution at lap 15. The Watkins Glen race was caution-free and it spread out. It felt like an IndyCar race. Sometimes you get those races where there is not a caution, the leader checks out and for the final 15 laps you know the results. This week they put in a competition caution to bunch up the field and it is a video game, who cares?

I will admit I think NASCAR might have something with the format it is using tomorrow, two heat races with a main event. For NASCAR, the heat races are just setting the grid for the main race. No one is missing out on the feature.

This is a time for experimentation and I think IndyCar should give something else a try. If there is going to be a competition caution at lap 15, let's just have two 10-lap heat races but have those be reverse grid race. Hold a qualifying session, odd-numbered qualifiers in race one, even-numbered in race two and then the results of those heats set the grid for the main race, let's say it is 25 laps.

That format could allow each race to get in without a commercial break in the middle. It would mix it up a bit. Sage Karam would have to start at the back of the field, as would Will Power. We would get to see some different names, it would be a sprint with incentives to pass and it would be easier to follow.

A downside to iRacing is it does not allow for quick camera changes. You miss a lot of incidents. On the first lap, there were incidents in turn one, five and eight and we saw none of them. Scott Speed had an issue and we didn't see it. Scott Dixon had a spin and we didn't see it. It is just the natural limitations of the broadcast. Credit to iRacing that it caught the Zach Veach spin in the penultimate corner. They had a replay of Patricio O'Ward's first spin but not when he and Oliver Askew got together. If there were only 14 or 15 cars in a race versus 29 cars it would be easier to digest.

11. I am going to do a couple of quick hits:

It is hard to keep up with the pit cycle and that is just because of how iRacing is set up. You do not see the pit stops and you are not entirely sure who has made a stop and who hasn't. You do not know when a driver last stopped.

It would be nice if there was available live timing and scoring. That is asking a lot at this time but perhaps it is possible.

I hope qualifying can be completed before the broadcast begins in the future. It is different to tune in to a race and not know the grid and the first time you find out the lineup is on the pace lap. I know qualifying was happening during the early portion of the broadcast and it might not be possible to look into the qualifying session. I know the drivers are being gracious with their time but it might work out if qualifying was a half-hour before the broadcast starts. The session could be completed and the results could be posted before the broadcast even begins.

12. The next race is going to be Michigan and it was labelled as "drivers' choice" and I am wondering did the drivers choose Michigan or did someone else choose Michigan? Not that there is a problem with Michigan. We will have a discussion below about how quickly the "drivers' choice" was announced.

I think a lot of people had buyer's remorse last week when Watkins Glen won the fan vote handily over Michigan and then saw a less than exciting race. If the appetite is there for Michigan then great and I do think one of these events should be an oval. I am glad it is an event that is not on the schedule. This is a good thing and it will be fun to watch.

13. Michigan being the next race is an interesting choice because Nate Ryan had a story about IndyCar running at Talladega in one of these IndyCar iRacing events and the reason for such as story is because Dale Earnhardt, Jr. tweeted he would be interested in competing in one of the IndyCar events. The kicker is he would do it if it is an oval.

Do I think the drivers picked Michigan? No.

Unfortunately, we will not get to see the fun IndyCar had in-store for the drivers' choice track. I was hoping we would have each driver announce their track on Twitter or have some fun vote and reveal the night before. It would have been intriguing to see what tracks were thrown out there.

Do I think this was done to try and entice a big name such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and perhaps a few other NASCAR guys to run? Yes.

Is there anything wrong with pandering for ratings? Depends what you value.

Earnhardt, Jr. is the most known driver in American motorsports over the last 25 years. With these races now being broadcasted on NBCSN it would be beneficial to get Earnhardt, Jr. out there from a network's point of view.

I question if IndyCar should plant one oval to get Earnhardt, Jr. in. It is for fun and having a race at Michigan or perhaps Talladega for the "non-IndyCar dream track" on May 2 would not be bad but there is no risk to Earnhardt, Jr.'s health and safety wherever the race is held. If Earnhardt, Jr. wants to compete, come and join even if it is a road course. Jimmie Johnson is getting out of his element. I don't think Earnhardt, Jr. should be afraid to take a risk.

14. Speaking of getting drivers to compete, we had 29 entries today and that is great. I do not know what the limit is for iRacing. I am sure it would not be possible to have 60 cars at Michigan next week but I do want to see a few other drivers run.

Stefan Wilson raced last night in an event and had a nice tribute livery to his brother Justin's CDW RuSport Champ Car and that would be cool to see in one of these events. Gabby Chaves has been competing in different series. James Davison has been competing. J.R. Hildebrand is available and competing in other series. I would love to see those IndyCar role-players get to run here in the IndyCar event.

I want to see Dario Franchitti in a race. He has been great in The Race's Legend Trophy events. Franchitti makes perfect sense for these IndyCar events.

I want to see Lando Norris compete with McLaren and run against his old MSA Formula teammate Colton Herta.

Let's get Hélio Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya into the field.

Is Fernando Alonso available?

The barrier for entry is low. This isn't a case of Penske doesn't have a ride for Montoya. Montoya has a ride for Montoya. Castroneves has a ride for Castroneves. Franchitti has a ride for Franchitti. As long as they have the time in their schedules, let them race.

I know NASCAR has run into the problem of having too many entries and I would not want IndyCar to get to that point but IndyCar has done a better job with the invitations. If you keep the 29 guys already out there, add Franchitti, Alonso, Norris, Castroneves, Montoya, Hildebrand, Davison, Wilson and Chaves you have 38 cars, more than you would see in an IndyCar race but it is not bonkers. We had 29 cars today at Barber. We haven't seen 29 cars in an IndyCar road course race since Long Beach in 1998. Today worked out with a larger than actual field. What would be six or seven more cars with known names?

15. As stated above, on to Michigan.

How Will the Revised IndyCar Schedule Feel?

Last week, IndyCar released its revised 2020 season with amendments after the covid-19 outbreak and, while it is still not set in concrete and races could still move around or be cancelled, it is something different that IndyCar has not experienced before. 

The IndyCar season has had the same pattern for almost its entirety. The season starts in spring, a few races are completed, then comes the Indianapolis 500 and then there is a summer full of races. It has a particular feel. 

Those first few races get the blood flowing. You get to see who has come out of the box strong and then who is going to be making up ground. After those first few races comes the Indianapolis 500. It is the first big test and it kind of sets the tone for the season. Success in May can launch a championship run throughout the season. By the time we get to the start of August we have an idea who the contenders are and you are out of it. When we reach Labor Day it is pretty much the homestretch. The title will be decided in a matter of a few races and then that is it. The season is over. 

This year will not have that same pattern.

We could be starting at Belle Isle, which is still on the fence and could be postponed but right now it is the tentative season opener. It is not odd to be starting at a street course but it will be odd to start with a doubleheader. It is a quick launch out of the gates and, instead of having one bad day that teams need to comeback from, a team could have two bad days and find itself in a massive hole after the first weekend. It could be a much harder blow than a typical opening weekend. 

The season is more condensed than IndyCar's most condensed seasons. The last few seasons have seen a spring break of sorts with either multiple weeks off between St. Petersburg and the second round of the season or last year between Long Beach and the Grand Prix of Indianapolis. This year will be a whirlwind in comparison. 

The Belle Isle doubleheader and Texas will be in consecutive weeks. After a week off, the teams will run Road America, Richmond, the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, Toronto and Iowa in five consecutive weeks and just like that seven of 14 scheduled races are in the bag in eight weeks. Last year, it took 13 weeks to complete the first seven races. 

The Indianapolis 500 shifting to August is a colossal change in its own right but with the race now being the tenth race of the season versus the fourth, fifth or sixth race heightens its influence on the championship. When the race is in May and it is in the first quarter or first third of the season. It is the first benchmark. Teams are still figuring it out, there is still plenty of time to right a bad start and it is the race where the championship starts to take shape. 

With the race being the tenth of 14th races, this year's Indianapolis 500 is likely going to be the decider over whether or not a driver is in the championship fight down to the wire. It will still be a double points race but only four races will come after it. 

Last year, entering the tenth race Josef Newgarden had a 25-point lead over Alexander Rossi, 48 points over Simon Pagenaud and 89 points over Scott Dixon. If Indianapolis is the race where Rossi has a lap one accident and Newgarden goes on to finish fourth that will pretty much ends Rossi's championship hopes right then and there. You would be looking at a case of Rossi leaving with ten points and Newgarden leaving with 65 points and increasing his gap to Rossi to 75 points with four races to go and no double points in the finale. Rossi would have to claw back at least 26 or 27 points in the following three races to have a mathematical shot at the title in the finale. 

Maybe we should transition into whether or not double points should have been dropped from the finale. I understand why IndyCar did it because we do not know when or where the finale will be. St. Petersburg is currently a to be determined date but the plan is for it to be the season finale. There is also a chance St. Petersburg will not be the finale. We are now looking at Belle Isle potentially being postponed and pushed to October with St. Petersburg. You cannot say the finale will be double points and then have the finale be cancelled or changed. In that case you cannot retroactively award double points to what became the season finale. It would just be too much of a mess.

However, IndyCar did lose three races but this season is not all that shorter than other seasons in the recent past. The 2012 season was only 15 races so 14 races is not some great abbreviation to the campaign. Last year, after 13 races, Newgarden had a 16-point lead over Rossi, 47-point lead over Pagenaud and 62-point lead over Dixon. If that scenario repeats in 2020, only Newgarden, Rossi and Pagenaud would have a shot at the title. If it were a double points finale though, only Dixon would be added to the drivers eligible for the title.

There would be a chance we could see six, seven or eight drivers alive for the title and that might not be a bad thing this year. With the finale likely taking place deeper into football season IndyCar might want seven drivers alive for the title. There would be plenty to tune in for in that case. In all likelihood we would only see four or five drivers and that is not different from what we have seen in reason years with double points finales. 

If IndyCar really cared about the championship and did not want double points to sway it the final results too much it should remove double points from the Indianapolis 500 as well, especially with it falling so late in the season. 

Stepping back for a moment, IndyCar could be looking at its first doubleheader to open a season since 1975 when USAC started its season with California 500 qualifying races, a pair of 100-mile races the week before the longer race. The last time an IndyCar season started with a doubleheader which featured a full-field in each race was 1971 when the season started with a pair of 152.322-mile races on the 2.874-mile oval in Rafaela, Argentina. This year would be the first time the season opened with a doubleheader on a road/street course since May 4, 1912, when the season started with three races on the 8.417-mile Santa Monica road course. 

If Belle Isle is postponed and Texas would be the season opener it would be the first time an oval hosted the opening round of a season since 2008 at Homestead, the first race after reunification. 

Regardless of whether St. Petersburg or Belle Isle is the finale, 2020 could be the first season to end on a street course since the 2003 CART season at Surfers Paradise after the Fontana finale was cancelled due to wildfires. If Belle Isle ends the season, it could be the first time the season ended with a doubleheader since October 12, 1927, when two races at the 1.25-mile Rockingham Speedway board track in Salem, New Hampshire closed the season.

We aren't sure if another revision will be necessary for the 2020 season. It seems likely but whatever happens this year will likely never be seen again. Some of it we hope never to see again. We hope we never had to cancel or postpone the first six races of the season and move the Indianapolis 500 to August. Not wanting to see that again is understandable but it might be a good thing to see a doubleheader start a season or end a season. It might be good to start at an oval or finish at a street course. Sometimes we get stuck in our patterns and we do not try something new. This is a chance to break the mold and see if something else works without fearing making a mistake. 

This is going to feel like a lost year but there is nothing wrong with making the most of it and taking chances. After all, what do we have to lose?